Entertainment

Google On Spectrum Auction: We Bluffed

The title pretty much sums up Google's story on their secretive (they had to keep quiet until now because of FCC's anti-collusion rules) C Block bid which ended up in Verizon's hands in the end.

By their own admission, they were aware that the chances of them actually winning the bid were slim, but they had to push it to $4.6 billion, since this price would "trigger the important "open applications" and "open handsets" license conditions."

To do this, they had to use every trick in the poker book: they were "prepared to gain the nationwide C Block licenses at a price somewhat higher than the reserve price," and they raised their own bid even though no one was bidding against them "to ensure aggressive bidding on the C Block." Well played, G.

The spectrum saga is not over yet, says Google. FCC has yet to decide what to do with the D Block, which is supposed to be used for public safety networks, but at the moment no one is using it. Furthermore, Google plans to "continue advocating for the FCC to open up the vacant "white spaces" in the TV spectrum band for mobile broadband uses." As long as they're holding to their own motto, I have no problem with this.

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